My Cintiq is due to arrive sometime late this week, and once that's in my hot little hands my portfolio is going to get an overhaul. I do want to preserve a few pieces from my current folio though... what I'd like to do is preserve evidence of life drawing, kiddie-style cartooning, and more sleek character design, and add to that some full-on digital paintings using the skills I've developed here at Reel Time Gaming.

This is my current portfolio... two years out of date, I'm afraid: www.taniawalker.com

It is difficult for me to be completely objective about my own work, so I'm looking for fresh eyes, and that's where you guys come in. What would you keep? What would you throw away? Why?

(Don't worry, I'm not easily offended and a lot of that stuff is pretty shite by my current standards.) Fire away!

I would keep most except for the following for the following reasons (Not being negative, I just figured there's more keeps than tosses):

http://www.taniawalker.com/8.jpg - Kids and the duck. I never liked it, as I thought the kids didn't look like kids to me and does not give a strong sense of how adept you are at drawing human facial structures.

http://www.taniawalker.com/13.jpg - For some reason everyone I run into tells me they're sick of fairies in portfolios. I guess I can understand that. I feel the same way about anime. Also, not digging the anatomy on either, I think for that you have your figure drawings and other pinuppy girls.

http://www.taniawalker.com/11.jpg - Dogs yes, to show you have a concept of variety in body types of different animals, lunchtime dinosaur no. I don't feel it does anything for your portfolio, its just a headshot.

I feel the easiest way to be objective about this is simple: pull your best work over the past two years, first, and compare it all. Ignore dates, simply sort things into better or worse. You can do this with casual eyeball, by making ratings, or hell, just tweaking things because you know what you dislike about them.

I would agree on the kids in the bath piece going as it just feels disjointed and a bit awkward. I would also take the last two pages of your portfolio right out - they don't feel as strong as other work I've seen you do, and the style of colouring is a bit all over the place, though possibly to show variety, all on one page it loses a positive effect. The last page with the fairy and the blue woman don't feel like portfolio pieces, but more doodles and practice pieces. What I DO like is the first image you see on the splash page and the orange girl on your CV etc. This feels like much stronger designs and has the nice line work that other pieces inside your portfolio have and I'd love to see more. I can't comment on your digital painting skills since you haven't uploaded any and won't have things for your port until the Cintiq arrives, so I'll leave it at that.

I do have to say that I enjoy the life drawing pieces you have in your portfolio at the moment - really great motion and form.

I can imagine! Yeah, part of the reason I went with the 12 inch was portability (the other part was poverty, haha). A small part of me is tempted to pick up a tablet PC and some sort of really nice sturdy carry-bag that will fit both, so I have a truly portable setup. But we'll see. I do need to start putting aside some savings again at some point. Oh moneys, why aren't there more of you? Why do you hate my pockets? D:

Seriously Tanya, I would be more inclined to just add to your portfolio the different examples that you have done since you last updated, like InterroBang and your current work. It allows people to see your breathe and depth of styles and talent, and also allows them to see you are developing your talent as well.

Depending on if you want to trade on it, include that you are exploring other creative avenues as well like your writing in your CV as well.

I would also suggest dropping the location of your jobs from your CV as well, people don't really care where you worked, they want the results of the work. Like you I have worked in more than 1 state, and I don't list the location on any of them.

Already did that in my latest CV. I'm getting such a full work history now that it's forced my hand; to get it all on two pages I've had to drop locations altogether.

Currently re-writing resume for the umpteenth time to appeal to animation / design jobs again (I did an excellent re-write on the weekend but it was aimed towards a non-art position, so the resume that resulted, while strong, is slanted in the wrong direction for the other jobs I want to apply for!)